{"id":91524,"date":"2025-10-30T08:59:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91524"},"modified":"2025-10-30T08:59:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:59:44","slug":"science-cafe-explores-the-biochemistry-of-love-attraction-and-companionship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91524","title":{"rendered":"Science Cafe explores the biochemistry of love, attraction, and companionship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By RORY MOORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fort Hays State University\u2019s Science and Mathematics Education Institute hosted the 144th Science Cafe at The Venue inside Thirsty\u2019s on Monday to explore the topic \u201cThe Biochemistry behind Lust, Attraction, and Companionship.&#8221; Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics James Balthazor was the guest speaker and provided a detailed analysis of how brain chemistry influences romantic relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe science of love is simpler and complex than what we might think,\u201d Balthazor said. \u201cAccording to a team of scientists at Rutgers, romantic love is broken down into three categories: lust, attraction, and attachment, and each of these stems from the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balthazor began with the biochemistry of attraction and how the body responds to the feeling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery time you think love comes from the heat, you\u2019re absolutely wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cIt comes from the brain. It may feel like your heart\u2019s beating out of your chest, but that\u2019s norepinephrine, dopamine and testosterone hitting your limbic system. We do have sex hormones that don\u2019t come from the brain; ovaries and testes, which secrete our testosterone and estrogen, and that\u2019s what\u2019s going to drive our sexual desire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"527\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-91525\" data-id=\"91525\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4.jpg?resize=790%2C527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C247&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1367&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-1-of-4-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">James Balthazor, Professor of Chemistry, examines the biochemistry of relationships at the Science Cafe. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"476\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-91528\" data-id=\"91528\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4.jpg?resize=790%2C476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C617&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C223&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C90&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C463&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C925&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1234&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The areas of the brain where love is induced. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"478\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-91529\" data-id=\"91529\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?resize=790%2C478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C620&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?resize=370%2C224&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?resize=150%2C91&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?resize=768%2C465&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SCience-Cafe-3.jpg?w=1238&amp;ssl=1 1238w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Explaining to the crowd how estrogen influences the feeling of lust. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"451\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-91526\" data-id=\"91526\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4.jpg?resize=790%2C451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C584&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C211&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C85&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C438&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C875&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1167&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-4-of-4-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Speaking about the negative aspects of dopamine after pleasure. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Balthazor said dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressor, are all made in the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that controls vital functions and emotions. This chemical reaction in the prefrontal cortex leads to a reduction in rational thought when a person falls in love<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo, that\u2019s probably why you get a little bit goofy when you fall in love,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balthazor also explained that lust is driven by a desire for sexual attraction and its evolutionary basis stems from humans\u2019 need to reproduce, a need that is shared among all living things.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEstrogen is the drive for reproduction, and during times of ovulation, those estrogen levels are going to be high,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we look at what modulates changes in sex hormones, these are specific receptors that bind. They\u2019re similar, but they bind differently and give different responses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This bind is what Balthazor referred to as the induced fit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cWithout this induced fit, we don\u2019t get this \u2018let\u2019s get it on\u2019 mentality,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is very much a tertiary structure, and proteins that are going to be played into it, which leads to a quaternary interaction. If I were a three-dimensional structure and you\u2019re a three-dimensional structure interacting with each other, we\u2019re having a quaternary interaction. That\u2019s what these hormones are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attraction can occur simultaneously with lust, but Balthazor pointed out that it sometimes happens without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAttraction usually involves some brain pathways that control the reward center,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is dopamine when you get something that is phenomenal or you love. Maybe it\u2019s chocolate, football, or your spouse. Dopamine is produced in the hypothalamus, and it\u2019s a great player in the reward center. This is released when something feels good to us, no matter what you do. If there\u2019s something you enjoy, like spending time with someone, you\u2019re going to get that dopamine dump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Norepinephrine is the chemical that keeps a person grounded or hesitant during attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s that fight or flight response,\u201d Balthazor said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re running from a bear and you get that big dump of norepinephrine, that says, \u2018Hey! We&#8217;ve got to get away!\u2019 That\u2019s the same interaction that happens when you fall in love with someone. Your body is saying, \u2018I like you, but I should maybe run away.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After love and attraction are formed, oxytocin becomes a regulatory hormone in the brain, helping maintain attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you fall in love, you usually tend to want to be around that person,\u201d he said. \u201cFor that reason, dopamine and oxytocin are the things that are most widely produced in super large quantities when we go through actual biochemical love, and those are the two chemicals that are driving the idea [in a couple] that maybe we\u2019re going to populate eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He included the negative aspects of this chemical reaction when a partner falls out of love or commits adultery with another partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThose same hormones regulate the flip side of the idea,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be the same chemical pathway but on a different level. The more we upregulate or downregulate something, the more response we get, and maybe a flood of dopamine makes you love someone, but starving from dopamine makes you hate someone. That same hormone is going to make us feel jealous, erratic, and have some crazy behaviors. Ultimately, they\u2019re the same behaviors that lead to abuse of alcohol, eating, and maybe adultery. Those same things make you want to have a positive relationship, but are going to cause you to have a negative relationship as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balthazor attributes dopamine as responsible for causing toxic relationships as equally as healthy relationships.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDopamine is, \u2018Yay! We\u2019re in love!\u2019 But it\u2019s still the same molecule that says, \u2018We\u2019re not happy,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThe same regions that light up when we\u2019re feeling attraction are the same regions that light up when we\u2019re having an addiction to drugs. The longer the dopaminergic response, the better the outcome. So, if you\u2019re in love with someone, you\u2019re riding high in the Honeymoon Phase. Some of us [couples] last a little longer than others, but it\u2019s not as strong as it could be, and an act that undergoes withdrawal is no different biochemically than as someone who\u2019s been friend-zoned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, Balthazor stated that the stability and length of a romantic relationship depend on the hormones produced in the brain and what that brain chemistry causes to transpire in a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so complicated because we don\u2019t know how much of each hormone is going to be produced,\u201d he said. \u201cAs we produce more and more of one hormone, it tends to scale in our favor, but not always. You can still get those same things now; attachment, lust, those are all great things, but they don\u2019t always bode well for monogamy. They tend to drive us to want to keep looking, so we keep chasing that white rabbit\u2019s boat, so to speak. Oxytocin\u2019s also been tagged with us chasing things outside of what we already have. It can be a double-edged sword, so if you\u2019re chasing that dopamine high with your spouse, just know that too much dopamine can cause us to essentially run away from them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next Science Cafe at The Venue will be \u201cUnderstanding Life Through Genomic Data Mining\u201d at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By RORY MOORE Tiger Media Network Fort Hays State University\u2019s Science and Mathematics Education Institute hosted the 144th Science Cafe at The Venue inside Thirsty\u2019s&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":91528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3397,11],"tags":[15700,276],"class_list":["post-91524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-area-news","category-news","tag-rory-moore","tag-science-cafe"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cafe-2-of-4-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1542&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91524"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91531,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91524\/revisions\/91531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}